title: Hexagonal graphene onion rings.
abstract: Precise spatial control of materials is the key capability of engineering their optical, electronic, and mechanical properties. However, growth of graphene on Cu was revealed to be seed-induced two-dimensional (2D) growth, limiting the synthesis of complex graphene spatial structures. In this research, we report the growth of onion ring like three-dimensional (3D) graphene structures, which are comprised of concentric one-dimensional hexagonal graphene ribbon rings grown under 2D single-crystal monolayer graphene domains. The ring formation arises from the hydrogenation-induced edge nucleation and 3D growth of a new graphene layer on the edge and under the previous one, as supported by first principles calculations. This work reveals a new graphene-nucleation mechanism and could also offer impetus for the design of new 3D spatial structures of graphene or other 2D layered materials. Additionally, in this research, two special features of this new 3D graphene structure were demonstrated, including nanoribbon fabrication and potential use in lithium storage upon scaling.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Rice University, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005, USA.
authors.forename: Zheng
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.forename: Yuanyue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Zhiwei
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Gunuk
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pembroke
authors.forename: Haiqing
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: Changsheng
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xiang
authors.forename: Abdul-Rahman O
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Raji
authors.forename: Errol L G
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Samuel
authors.forename: Ting
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yu
authors.forename: Boris I
authors.initials: BI
authors.lastname: Yakobson
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Tour